Update: Water Testing Results

Water quality testing has been completed at all District schools in compliance with New York State legislation enacted in September. All five elementary schools were tested by the deadline of September 30 and Goff Middle School and Columbia High School were tested by their deadline of October 31.

Like many other school districts in the Capital Region, East Greenbush CSD has shown elevated levels of lead in some water samples.

Because health and safety are the District’s highest priority, it began voluntarily testing water fountains and sinks in May after media reports of lead contamination in other school districts and municipalities. The new law strengthens previous regulations and makes New York the first state in the nation to require all of its public schools to conduct lead testing on all sources of potable water.

The District tested each school in two rounds. The first round tested drinking sources, such as water fountains and bubblers, and the second round tested remaining outlets, such as bathroom and classroom sinks.

The full results of both rounds of testing are listed below and include each outlet’s current status. The District is awaiting results from the second round of testing for Goff and Columbia.

As results have come in, the District has taken immediate action and removed any outlets from service that exceeded the actionable level of 15 parts per billion. Once fixtures are secured and replaced, they are re-tested, and if the results fall below the actionable level, they are put back into service.

Of the 598 test samples returned so far, 66 have been above the actionable level (see below).

[pdf-embedder url=”http://egcsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/20161103-Water-Testing-Results-1.pdf”] Results will continue to be shared with staff, parents, community members and the NYS Department of Health when that data is available. If you have any questions about the health effects of lead, please contact your primary care physician or the Rensselaer County Health Department.